4 minute read
All the Ingredients Are Here
During the Christmas holidays in North America, and particularly in the southern states, many people enjoy a good homemade dessert. One of the all-time favorites is the pound cake—that sweet but simple goodness that brings the taste buds alive and lingers on the back of your tongue even after you have swallowed. It makes my mouth water just thinking about it. You know what I’m talking about. Wow! It is sooooo good!
But making the pound cake is a process. Getting the crust of the cake just right and getting the right consistency and texture with just enough moisture and density to make it melt in your mouth requires skill and process. For many people, it takes a few times trying to get it just right. It also requires having and adding the right ingredients at the right time and in the right measures to produce a cake that makes everyone want another slice. Thus, it is extremely helpful to have someone who has baked the cake before to show you the ropes.
What are the main ingredients in a pound cake? There is flour, butter, eggs, and sugar. Some bakers add sour cream and various flavors like vanilla, almond, lemon, or even chocolate; but without the main ingredients, it will never work. For example, try making a pound cake without the flour (the character of the cake), and what you end up with is sweet, scrambled eggs—not too appetizing! It takes all the ingredients in the right measures to produce the perfect pound cake. And it requires the right environment, process, and patience.
Pound cakes, because of their girth, require a little more time in the oven at a lower heat than the ordinary cake. And the oven temperature can vary based on the shape of the cake you bake (bundt or loaf), as well as elevation, varying climates, and context. The oven must be preheated and ready to receive the batter before it can become a cake. Missing any of the ingredients and/or not following the outlined process will give you a different result than the one you desire. Done correctly, not only does the cake taste great, but it also fills the house with an irresistible aroma.
God is a God of plans, process, and skill (Jeremiah 29:11). He designs and plans, intending to bring our lives to the end that he created us for (Jeremiah 1:1–6). This “end” is for us to be his disciples. He calls us (Mark 3:13–14; Matthew 4:18–22) to be with him as his disciples, and to go and make disciples (Matthew 28:18–20; Acts 1:4–8). He provides us with all the ingredients necessary (Matthew 5:3–11; Acts 2:1–2, 42–47; Galatians 5:22–23; 2 Peter 1:3–8) so that nothing is lacking, and he places us in the environment that needs us most. There he grows and develops us, and makes us his irresistible, sweet-smelling savor (2 Corinthians 2:15–16), meet for the Master’s use.
This Christmas season, take some time and consider the main ingredients (characteristics) of a disciple. See Matthew 5:3–11, Acts 2:42–47, Galatians 5:22–23, and 2 Peter 1:3–8. Make notes about what you see in the Scripture. Then consider which of these characteristics you have felt God helping you to grow in over the past year. Which of these characteristics challenge you the most? Now, take these challenges to God in prayer. God is ready to help us to be more like him, and he has provided all the ingredients we need. Remember, his plans for you are perfect, so . “go and make disciples” (Matthew 28:19–20; Mark 16:14–18; Luke 24:44–49; John 20:20–21; Acts 1:4–8). Go and be that irresistible aroma in this world.
